Poor connectivity despite 3 R&B Ministers from Doda-Kishtwar
*Want immediate end to several decades long hardships
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 4: The top priority of the District Development Councils (DDCs) should be to ensure transparent implementation of all the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) meant for changing developmental profile of the rural areas as till date vast population has remained deprived of the same due to gaps in the implementation.
Moreover, serious attention is required to be paid towards providing basic amenities of life like uninterrupted power and ration supply and proper road connectivity to each and every hamlet so that people of backward areas too heave a sigh of relief from decades long hardships.
With these expectations and opinion the inhabitants of Nagseni and Gool areas of Kishtwar and Ramban districts overwhelmingly participated in the District Development Council elections held today. However, many among them are still apprehensive about any major change in their lives as whosoever was elected by them in the past never made serious efforts to mitigate their sufferings.
Daler Singh, who exercised his franchise in Bhagna-C Polling Station in Nagseni block, said, “we always exhibited full-faith in the democracy by overwhelmingly participating in the elections but what we got in return is an open book”, adding “you name any sector and there will be long list of difficulties which the people of this under-developed area are facing”.
“We don’t have proper road connectivity….regular power supply is a rare phenomenon in entire Nagseni block. Moreover, there are no proper facilities in health centres and still the politicians and Government make claim that adequate attention is being paid towards under-developed and backward areas”, he said, adding “actually people of such areas become dearer to the politicians only when elections approach otherwise they don’t have any time to even look at us”.
Quoting the example of Paddar-Bhagna-Darsha road, he said, “the work was started in 2005 but despite lapse of 15 years the same is yet to be completed although there were three R&B Ministers from Doda-Kishtwar belt”, adding “had they been sympathetic towards Nagseni like areas we would have not been crying for proper road connectivity”.
“We get power supply for two hours in a day and do you think that this was the real objective behind electrification of all the areas under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme”, said Behari Lal, who also belongs to Nagseni, adding “there is huge gap between the claims of the Government about providing employment under MGNREGA Scheme and the reality as there are large number of people who don’t get employment but in papers their names get reflected”.
He along with several other voters of the area exercised their franchise with the hope that District Development Council, which is going to be constituted for the first time, would pay serious attention towards transparent implementation of all the Centrally Sponsored Schemes meant for changing the developmental profile of the rural areas and bringing improvement in the living condition of the people.
Mohammad Hussain of Gujjar Basti in Nagseni block, a fresh graduate, said, “educated youth have no source of employment here and their economic condition doesn’t permit them to move out of the area”, adding “what to talk of creating employment avenues for us the administration and politicians, who enjoyed the fruits of power because of our votes, never paid serious attention towards providing us basic amenities of life”.
“Proper power supply, road connectivity, drinking water and all facilities in the health centres still a distant dream for us while other parts of Jammu and Kashmir are continuously marching on the path of development”, several voters said, adding “there is no transparency in the implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes and we hope this would receive due attention of DDC”.
Mohd Shafi of Gool, who was among large number of voters waiting in the queue to cast vote, said, “we have lots of hopes from those contesting elections as they are well versed with our difficulties”, adding “let us see whether they set an example by timely redressing all our grievances or follow the foot-steps of those politicians who used our votes for securing their own future”.
Several other voters highlighted poor condition of roads, irregular power supply and poor implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes and said, “this is the gift of those politicians who only showed greener pastures to the voters during the elections but did nothing on ground”.
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